[Python-ideas] Verbatim names (allowing keywords as names)

[Stephan Houben]

OK, that was a silly joke, but
did you realize that the following already WORKS TODAY:

>>> class Foo:
...  pass
>>> f = Foo()
>>> f.__dict__["if"] = 42
>>> f.𝐢𝐟
42

That's right, I can access a member whose name is a keyword
by simply using Unicode bold.

Because Python normalizes Unicode fonts but  this is
apparently AFTER keywords have been recognized.

Stephan


2018-05-17 19:53 GMT+02:00 Stephan Houben <stephanh42 at gmail.com>:

> Fortunately we have Unicode bold characters nowadays
>
> 𝐢𝐟 if 𝐢𝐧 in:
>     𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 return
>
> Look ma! No syntactic ambiguity!
>
> Stephan
>
> 2018-05-17 19:10 GMT+02:00 Chris Barker via Python-ideas <
> python-ideas at python.org>:
>
>> On Wed, May 16, 2018 at 2:09 PM, Carl Smith <carl.input at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> If your position is that Guido shouldn't introduce keywords that are
>>> currently used as names at all,
>>>
>>
>> Exactly -- which is why I'm wondering my no one (that I've seen -- long
>> thread)  is presenting the backwards option:
>>
>> Any new keywords introduced will be non-legal as regular names.
>>
>> \new_key_word
>>
>> for instance.
>>
>> Makes me think that it may have been good to have ALL keywords somehow
>> non-legal as user-defined names -- maybe ugly syntax, but it would make a
>> clear distinction.
>>
>> how ugly would this be?
>>
>> \for i in range(n):
>>     \while \True:
>>         ...
>>
>> pretty ugly :-(
>>
>> But maybe not so much if only a handful of new ones....
>>
>> Or is there another currently illegal character that could be used that
>> would be less ugly?
>>
>> I'm actually confused as to what the point is to the \ prefix idea for
>> names:
>>
>> * It would still require people to change their code when a new keyword
>> was introduced
>>
>> * It would be no easier / harder than adding a conventional legal
>> character -- trailing underscore, or ???
>>
>> * but now the changed code would no longer run on older versions of
>> python.
>>
>> I guess it comes down to why you'd want to call out:
>>
>> "this is a name that is almost like a keyword"
>>
>> Seems like a meh, meh, lose proposal to me.
>>
>> OK, I see one advantage -- one could have code that already has BOTH word
>> and word_ names in it. So when word becomes a keyword, a tool that
>> automatically added an underscore would break the code. whereas if it
>> automatically added an currently illegal character, it wouldn't shadow
>> anything.
>>
>> But a sufficiently smart tool could get around that, too.
>>
>> -CHB
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
>> Oceanographer
>>
>> Emergency Response Division
>> NOAA/NOS/OR&R            (206) 526-6959   voice
>> 7600 Sand Point Way NE   (206) 526-6329   fax
>> Seattle, WA  98115       (206) 526-6317   main reception
>>
>> Chris.Barker at noaa.gov
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Python-ideas mailing list
>> Python-ideas at python.org
>> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-ideas
>> Code of Conduct: http://python.org/psf/codeofconduct/
>>
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-ideas/attachments/20180517/4b494628/attachment.html>